The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
An anatomy, such as a human anatomy, includes various portions that are operable to move relative to one another. A joint generally allows for two portions, such as bony portions, to move relative to one another. For example, a knee joint is generally formed between the femur and the tibia and also articulation of the femur and the tibia at a selected location. For various reasons, such as disease, age, injury or the like, the various articulating regions may no longer be able to perform the anatomical action of the smooth and pain-free articulation. It may be selected, if possible, to replace the portions of the anatomy with a prosthesis. Prostheses, such as those generally known in the art, vary widely in their construction, method of implantation, and the like.
Generally, a total knee arthroplasty (TKA) requires a replacement of the entire articulation or condylar portion of the femur and the entire articulation region of the tibia. Generally, a single element replaces each of the articulating portions of the femur. Nevertheless, it may be desirable to replace only selected portions of the femur, such as the medial and lateral condyles that articulate with the tibia. It may be desirable to maintain the remaining portions of the femur for various purposes, such as bone retention, cartilage retention, or the like. Therefore, it may be desirable to provide a method and apparatus for positioning and implanting a plurality of articulating elements to articulate with a selected portion of the anatomy.
It can also be desirable to provide an implant system that allows for performing more than a single cut or resection on a selected bone based upon or aligned relative to a first cut or resection on a bone. The system may allow for positioning a substantially single piece implant relative to the cut bone surface once the one or more cuts are made. Therefore, a system that allows for forming multiple cuts on a single bone aligned relative to a first cut may be desirable.